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How can geneticists tell when a genetic difference between two human populations is an accident and when it’s the result of natural selection?
As our species moved out of Africa and spread out across the globe, there were a lot of chances for random DNA mutations to occur. Many of these were neutral – ...

The 23andMe Personal Genome Service™ offers information about customers' maternal and paternal ancestry by examining their mitochondrial DNA (which we all inherit from our mothers) and the Y chromosome (which is passed by fathers to their sons).
Over our species' history new genetic variations have arisen ...

By 23andMe Co-founders Linda Avey and Anne Wojcicki
Every year, 130 million babies are born around the world. Yet little is known about why some women sail through their pregnancies, while others encounter issues such as infertility, miscarriage, pre-term labor, preeclampsia and gestational diabetes. ...

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT), sometimes called “economy class syndrome” is the formation of a blood clot in a vein deep within the body, usually in the legs. Not only can DVT be painful, but it can also lead to a potentially fatal condition called pulmonary embolism if the clot breaks free and travels through ...

No matter what you call it – “flush”, “blush” or “glow” – the red face, nausea and rapid heart beat that many people with Asian ancestry experience when they drink alcohol is more than just a quirk of nature. Research shows it’s a significant risk factor for esophageal cancer, one of the deadliest ...

BRCA1 and BRCA2 (BRCA1/2) mutations account for most (though not all) cases of inherited breast cancer in women. These mutations are also associated with an increased risk for ovarian cancer. In men, BRCA1/2 mutations increase the risk for breast cancer and may also increase prostate cancer risk. Research ...

By 23andMe Co-Founders Linda Avey and Anne Wojcicki
We started 23andMe with a simple, yet expansive, vision: to take DNA into the mainstream. In order to demystify genetics, we thought the best approach was to give individuals access to their genomes and help them gain personalized insight into their own ...

Throughout the course of human evolution, there have been plenty of firsts. Small changes in our genetic code have laid the groundwork for our bipedal gait, our large brains, and our ability to speak complex languages.
There are countless genes throughout the human genome that distinguish us from our ...

Once distributed throughout tropical Africa, Pygmies now live in pockets of the continent's rainforest.Africa is home to a number of dwindling hunter-gatherer populations, most of them living deep in the rainforests that stretch from western Africa's Atlantic coast to the eastern edge of the Democratic ...

Autism, a neurological disorder that impairs a person’s ability to communicate with and relate to others, affects one in every 150 American children. Genetics is thought to be at least partly to blame for this condition, but research aimed at finding the genes involved has been frustratingly slow.
This is ...

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